Chapter 371 – Mortal Shedding Begins

“It was actually the Third Prince of the East Sea King who made the move. That’s truly unexpected.”

“No, I think it makes perfect sense. Ji Yu’s maternal clan has never been powerful, and his chances of competing for the throne are slim. Marrying into Prince Liang’s family is almost his only opportunity. Mu Lin marrying Ji Lingsha completely crushes his hopes. If I were in his position, I would have acted too. This way, if it succeeds, everything is settled. Even if it fails, would the East Sea King just stand by and watch Mu Lin kill me?”

“…That’s true. Waiting passively is far worse than fighting with all your might.”

Some understood Ji Yu’s actions, while others held opposing views: “No, I think Ji Yu’s actions are unwise and will not come without consequences… Given Mu Lin’s temperament, he won’t let this go.”

“What if he doesn’t let it go? Can he just barge into the East Sea Kingdom and kill Ji Yu?”

“Exactly. We respect Mu Lin and give him face because of his high talent and promising future. But the future is the future, and the present is the present. Right now, his cultivation years are still too short, and his strength is only higher than that of his peers among the Prodigies. Compared to truly renowned powerhouses, Mu Lin… is still far weaker.”

Many did not believe Mu Lin could successfully retaliate.

Even those who supported Mu Lin thought:

“At present, Mu Lin is indeed no match for Ji Yu, but that may not be the case in the future. With Ji Yu’s resources, he can live a long time—almost certainly long enough to see Mu Lin become a powerhouse. When that happens, he’s finished.”

“Heh, I think he’ll be miserable even now… Instant death isn’t the most terrifying thing. The most terrifying is the torment before death. Being watched by such a Prodigy, from now on, every day of his life will be a living nightmare, unable to eat or sleep in peace.”

“Well, that’s true. If I knew Mu Lin was targeting me, I definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep.”

“So, do you think Ji Yu will reconcile with Mu Lin?”

Currently, Mu Lin is the most admired figure among the youth of Yuzhou City, so the news of his assassination attempt has generated high interest.

Throughout Yuzhou City, almost all the young people are discussing matters related to Mu Lin.

At the same time, opinions on how this incident will unfold are divided into two factions.

One faction believes that the strong-willed East Sea King will not back down but will continue to assassinate Mu Lin to eliminate the root of the problem.

The other faction thinks the East Sea King will send resources to reconcile with Mu Lin.

The two factions argue fiercely due to their differing views.

However, neither faction believes Mu Lin will retaliate, nor do they think he could succeed if he tried.

Even the youths who trust and admire Mu Lin the most only believe that he might be able to oppose the East Sea King in the future. For now, he is far from being a match.

What Mu Lin does not know is that it is not only the scholars of the Human Race discussing this matter—the Foreign Races and demonic monsters are also talking about it.

However, unlike the Human Race scholars, who are deeply concerned and mostly hope for Mu Lin’s survival, the Demonic Monsters and Alien Races are watching with a spectator’s mindset, even hoping to stir up trouble and see the two sides fight.

“As expected, humans are skilled at internal strife.”

“Heh, it’s good if they fight. Best if it escalates into a full-blown slaughter—then we’ll be safe.”

“Clan Elder, what do you think? Should we add fuel to the fire?”

“…Forget it. This is ultimately the territory of the Human Race. It’s difficult for us to act without leaving any trace. Acting rashly would easily draw fire from both sides. Better to just watch.”

Some were watching the spectacle, while others… the Demon Foxes, wore expressions of “as expected.”

The Nine-Tailed Fox Demon Tu Su: “Indeed, talent alone is insufficient. Only one who possesses both influence and talent is qualified to marry me and protect the Qingqiu Fox Clan.”

…

Mu Lin was unaware of and uninterested in the speculations and sighs of others.

His entire focus was on Merging Gang and Sha, preparing to advance to Mortal Shedding at midnight tonight.

However, just as Mu Lin closed his eyes to cultivate, someone else came looking for him.

To Mu Lin’s surprise, it wasn’t someone from the Northern Aristocracy, but… Ji Lingsha.

“Her? I won’t see her.”

Mu Lin held little goodwill toward the source of the assassination attempt he had suffered. After all, in his view, this assassination was entirely an unwarranted disaster that had disrupted the tranquility of his cultivation.

Under such circumstances, it would be strange for Mu Lin to have any favorable impression of Ji Lingsha.

Yet, though he was unwilling to see Ji Lingsha, the latter forced her way in.

Neither Si Ye nor Yan Yunyu offered much resistance to this.

This scene made Mu Lin frown.

Setting this matter aside for the moment, Mu Lin looked at Ji Lingsha and realized she was the same willful young lady he had encountered in the Grave Lord’s Tomb.

This further worsened his attitude.

“Princess, what are you doing here?”

Mu Lin’s voice was icy and distant, an attitude that made Ji Lingsha feel somewhat wronged.

However, she was not merely a spoiled, willful young lady. Previously, in the Tomb of the Grave Lord, she had stopped Mu Lin to pick a quarrel due to a misunderstanding—she had thought it was Mu Lin who had proactively proposed marriage.

That incident had left her feeling apologetic ever since, and this time, she directly bowed her head, bent at the waist, and spoke with sincere apology:

“I came to apologize… I’m sorry. I didn’t expect this matter to cause you so much trouble.”

Ji Lingsha’s apology was utterly sincere, without a hint of falsehood, which improved Mu Lin’s impression of her somewhat.

Moreover, he had learned from Yan Yunyu and the others that Prince Liang’s Manor had not intended to use him as a shield but had genuinely planned to marry Ji Lingsha to him. Therefore, this was not them executing a plan to drive away a wolf by letting a tiger in.

This also meant Mu Lin had no intention of blaming her. However, at this moment, Mu Lin still did not wish to have excessive contact with Ji Lingsha.

“No need to apologize. This has nothing to do with you. It’s because I’m too weak, too easy to bully, making the third son of the East Sea King think there would be no consequences for offending me. That’s why this assassination happened. Heh…”

“Huh?”

Mu Lin’s laughter was accompanied by an extremely chilling gaze.

And his response was something Ji Lingsha had not anticipated.

Before she could say more, Mu Lin spoke directly: “Princess, I’ve heard your apology. Please leave.”

“No, I cannot go back.”

At this point, she felt somewhat shy, yet spoke with unwavering determination: “I, I heard from Uncle Fu that your current situation is very dangerous. Although the Yan Family, Chu Family, and Ge Family are all close to you, Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo are ultimately only daughters of concubines. Their parents hold low status within their families, and the same goes for Xue Ying—she is also from a collateral branch. Because of this, they won’t protect you with their full strength. The East Sea King knows this too, and he might continue to target you.”

“But I, I’m different. My father won’t stand by and watch me die. If, if… In any case, my father won’t stand by and watch you die either.”

As she said this, Ji Lingsha’s face flushed as red as if it were about to drip blood.

Then, as if remembering something, she quickly added to justify herself: “Don’t, don’t misunderstand. I’m helping you like this not because I li, like…”

Before she could finish, she suddenly slapped the table and declared loudly:

“I just think that you suffered this unwarranted disaster because of me, this Princess. It’s only right for me to repay you and pull you out of this mess.”

“Yes, that’s it. Don’t overthink it.”

‘…If you hadn’t said so much, I really wouldn’t have overthought it.’

Sighing inwardly, Mu Lin was actually somewhat tempted by this proposal.

Of course, this didn’t mean Mu Lin was giving up on revenge. Rather, with the support of Prince Liang’s Manor’s experts during his retaliation, the Yan, Chu, and Ge Families would likely follow suit. For the Yan-Chu Families, they wouldn’t dare to oppose the East Sea King alone, but if someone took the lead and they could just bolster the momentum, they would be willing to join.

With these forces backing him, Mu Lin would essentially avoid encountering overwhelmingly powerful forces or being subjected to a crushing defeat when going to the East Sea Kingdom.

At the same time, he understood why Yan Yunyu and Si Ye hadn’t stopped Ji Lingsha from joining. If she became part of his team, the benefits would indeed be plentiful.

However, although he was tempted, this favor was too great, and Mu Lin was reluctant to incur such a debt. Moreover: “Are you sure you’ve thought this through? Once you join my team, there’s basically no turning back… Don’t let momentary excitement lead to regret later.”

“Hmph, this Princess will never regret it.”

“Hehe…”

In response to Mu Lin’s question, Ji Lingsha refuted without hesitation, while Yan Yunyu beside her chuckled softly.

Leaning close to Mu Lin, Yan Yunyu whispered playfully in his ear: ‘Brother Mu, you seem unaware of your own charm, don’t you?’

‘???’

‘What charm do I have?’

Mu Lin never considered himself an interesting person. Most of his time was spent cultivating or fighting—such a lifestyle was dry and dull, hardly charming at all.

But in thinking this way, Mu Lin was falling into the trap of preconceived notions.

As Yan Yunyu spoke with a peculiar expression, Mu Lin gradually realized something… This wasn’t his previous life, and the social environment here was different from that of his past world.

Different regions and social customs also brought about different views on marriage and relationships.

For example, in the 21st century, being an “honest person” had become somewhat derogatory, but thirty or forty years ago, it was a relatively positive term.

Similarly, in feudal ancient times, there was the belief that “all occupations are base, only the study of books is exalted,” and everyone admired talented scholars and beautiful ladies—in that era, as long as one could read and write poetry, even if their behavior was unrestrained, they would still be admired.

Moreover, such unrestrained conduct could even be praised as the elegance of a romantic scholar.

However, the era Mu Lin now found himself in was different. Strictly speaking, it bore some resemblance to the world of Greek mythology—because the dangers in the wilderness had yet to be fully eradicated, and human life remained unstable, the people of this world felt deeply insecure.

Thus, they yearned for heroes who could drive away danger and shatter evil, aspired to become heroes themselves, and revered heroes even more.

That would bring them endless peace of mind.

Just like the Greek demigod Heracles, whose life was filled with battles and slaughter, with scarcely any moments of gentleness, yet this did not prevent maidens from adoring him.

There was even a legend that Heracles was once fought over by fifty princesses.

And just as Heracles fought throughout his life, unrivaled and invincible, Mu Lin was not much different—whether it was defeating all opponents in the Southeast Region, resisting the Evil God within the Tomb of the Grave Lord, or now, stepping forward when the Southern Aristocracy had all been defeated, achieving victory after victory.

Such deeds made Mu Lin shine like a hero of ancient Greece, radiant and glorious, earning him immense prestige among the youth.

In a world that worshipped heroes, someone like him naturally attracted the admiration and affection of many young women.

“So that’s how it is…”

Seeing the anticipation in Ji Lingsha’s eyes and pondering for a moment, Mu Lin agreed to her allegiance.

As he prepared for revenge, he needed more support. At the same time, Mu Lin was confident he could offer her a bright future.

…

After accepting Ji Lingsha, Mu Lin still entrusted the task of communication to Yan Yunyu, Si Ye, and the others.

As for Mu Lin himself, what he needed to focus on was still the Gang Sha Fusion.

“Hum!”

As midnight arrived, the world reached its peak of Yin energy, and Mu Lin’s Gang Sha successfully fused completely.

This also meant that Mu Lin’s advancement had begun.

“Hiss… Roar!”

(End of Chapter)